ROCKLAND — Seven candidates will compete for the title of 2024 Maine Lobster Festival Delegate at the 77th Maine Lobster Festival.
 
At the Delegate Banquet, Friday, July 26, at the Samoset Resort, participants will each have a turn to speak about who they are, why they are participating, and discuss the local charity their participation is supporting. Tickets to attend the banquet are $50 and may be purchased online. Full meal included.
 
The coronation will be held Wednesday, July 31, at 6:30 p.m., on the main stage on the Festival grounds at Harbor Park in Rockland. Also crowned will be a Runner-Up and Most Congenial.
 
Jillian Barnard, Thomaston
Passions: Community Service, Sports
Future Plans: Continue her established Firefighter and EMT career
Focus Organization: Autism Society of Maine
 
Jillian Barnard is a recent graduate of Oceanside High School. During her time at OHS, she was a dedicated multi-sport athlete, competing in soccer, softball, and cheer. In addition to her athletic commitments, Jillian was actively involved in school governance as the senior representative for the RSU13 School Board. She was also a student at Mid-Coast School of Technology, where she studied Firefighting and EMT. While there, she diligently prepared for her EMT exam and became a certified firefighter now working for the City of Rockland Fire and EMS. Jillian's hard work and dedication were recently recognized when she was awarded the state gold medal for SkillsUSA in the EMT competition. She believes that she can be a positive influence and role model for her peers and the younger members of her community. 
 
Lyla Brooks, South Thomaston
Passions: Healthcare, Dance
Future Plans: A career in Woman’s Health and Pediatrics
Focus Organization: St. Jude’s Research Hospital
 
Lyla Brooks is an upcoming senior at Oceanside High School. She will be attending Midcoast School of Technology and taking Medical Science classes with plans to attend nursing school and work in Woman’s Health and Pediatrics. She currently shadows at the Women's Health Center and at Pen Bay Medical Center and is also enrolled in the Inside Medicine Program with Tufts Medical Students for the second time. She is a part of the Liberal Arts Academy and the Vice President of her class for the second time and Vice President of Key Club. Dance is a passion of Lyla's and has been a big part of her life since she began competitive dancing at the age of 3 at Studio Red. She loves going to Pilates classes, reading, going to the beach, spending time with her best friends and family, and traveling. Lyla's cousins own Brooks Trap Mill, a local company that produces lobster traps and supports the lobster industry, so she has had the pleasure of being around the lobster industry most of her life. Lyla is excited to have the opportunity to become the Maine Lobster Festival Delegate to support the lobster industry as it plays a huge role in the Midcoast economy. 
 
Chelsea Gaiero, Belfast
Passions: Community Service, Sports
Future Plans: Attending Northeastern University to study Chemical Engineering
Focus Organization: Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care
 
Chelsea Gaiero graduated from Kents Hill School in 2023, where she was a member of the field hockey, alpine skiing, and tennis teams. She was captain of the field hockey and tennis teams. Additionally, she was leader of the sustainability club, a campus tour guide, a member of the National Honor Society, and served as one of two student representatives for the curriculum board. In the fall, she will be a sophomore at Northeastern University where she is majoring in chemical engineering. Over the past four summers, she has diversified her knowledge of the Maine working waterfront through lobstering, cultivating mussels, and oyster farming. This past May, she completed her OUPV 6-pack captain’s license course, which will be utilized for oyster farm tours and lobstering demonstrations through her family’s business, Nauti Sisters Seafarm. 
 
Hannah Hall, Owls Head
Passions: Music, Education
Future Plans: University of Maine in Orono to study Music Education
Focus Organization: Hungry for Music
 
Hannah Hall grew up in Rockland, Maine, and has been a part of this community her whole life. She now resides in Owls Head, Maine, and is excited to represent the Midcoast area to which she is deeply tied. Hannah has been determined to participate in this special opportunity as she watched the event take place from her summer job working at the Dry Dock Restaurant. Her greatest passion is teaching music. She volunteers at South School with the band, teaches private piano lessons, and is involved in both ensembles at her school. She auditioned and was selected to participate in both the District 3 Music Festival and Allstate. She believes strongly that music is something that can touch everyone, and she wants to do everything she can to inspire and teach younger generations. Her goal is to attend the University of Maine at Orono for a Bachelors Degree in Music Education. Hannah looks forward to representing the Maine Lobster Festival this year and meeting all the wonderful people from around the world. 
 
Natalee Hitz, Waldoboro
Passions: Lobstering, Community
Future Plans: Continue working in, and for, the Lobstering Industry
Focus Organization: Maine Lobstermen’s Association
 
Natalee Hitz grew up in Cushing, Maine, and now resides in Waldoboro. Coming from a family deeply rooted in lobstering, she spent more time on a boat than on land. Her passion for lobstering and the entire industry has always been unwavering. Natalee is dedicated to ensuring the continued success of the industry she grew up in, which is why she believes she would be an excellent Delegate for the Maine Lobster Festival. She joined this competition so she could educate people from all around about lobstering, living on the coast, and everything that comes with it. Natalee wants to be able to better this industry not only for herself, but for everyone in it. After all, what would the Festival be without lobster and the hard-working people who catch it.
 
Caitlyn Lamb, Cushing
Passions: Community Service, Sports
Future Plans: Attend Maine Maritime Academy to study Marine Engineering Operations
Focus Organization: Susan G. Komen Foundation
 
Caitlyn Lamb is a recent graduate of Oceanside High School and will be attending Maine Maritime Academy this fall to study Marine Engineering Operations. In high school, Caitlyn was a three-sport varsity athlete, playing soccer, basketball and lacrosse where she was captain for all three. She plans to play lacrosse in college. Caitlyn also participated in yearbook and is a member of the National Honor Society and National Technical Honor Society. She is a big animal lover and considers her pup Lexi, to be one of her best friends. Caitlyn enjoys painting and spending her days off on the water; water skiing, tubing and chasing sunsets. Caitlyn is excited to compete to be a Delegate because of the love she has for the Midcoast community, the lobster community, and her rich family history with the area. Caitlyn will be donating to a breast cancer charity, having had several loved ones battle breast cancer and one lose the battle. She will donate in honor of her grandmothers.
 
Jenna VanRyn, Rockport
Passions: Community Service, Sports
Future Plans: University of North Carolina to become a Physical Therapist Focus Organization: Camp No-Limits
 
Jenna VanRyn is a recent graduate of Camden Hills Regional High School, and will be attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the fall. She will be studying on the Pre-Health track, with a goal of becoming a Physical Therapist, and will also be competing in Division 1 track and cross country. In high school, Jenna participated in varsity track, cross country, and indoor track. She was also involved in many community service based clubs such as National Honor Society, and is the high school board representative for a local group, Stewardship Education Alliance. Jenna also serves with other community members to end social injustice, working with Camden UCC to advocate change. Outside of school, she enjoys painting, listening to music, being outside, swimming, and biking. Jenna decided to compete to be Delegate, as she loves giving back to others, and wanted to collaborate with a wider group of individuals in order to support the Midcoast. She has chosen Camp No-Limits as her nonprofit. Jenna’s dad is an above the knee amputee, who suffered previously from Osteosarcoma. She has gained inspiration from him to help those who are a part of the program.

Five days of fun and feasting on the fabulous coast of Maine, the Maine Lobster Festival attracts thousands of people to the Midcoast region and has a long tradition of giving back to the local community. The 2024 Festival will be held July 31-Aug. 4 and will celebrate its 77th anniversary. Once again, admission will be free. For more information about the Maine Lobster Festival, visit the website at www.mainelobsterfestival.com, “like” it on Facebook, follow it on X (formerly Twitter) at @MELobsterFest, and on Instagram at @mainelobsterfest.